Enter your goal time. Get hill-adjusted, mile-by-mile splits built from actual GPX data: through the coastal opening, up Hurricane Point, across Bixby Bridge, and all the way to the finish in Carmel.
The opening 9 miles lull you. Coastal Highway 1, ocean views, rolling terrain that asks almost nothing. Then mile 10 turns uphill and by mile 11 you're climbing 570 feet on an exposed ridge with Pacific wind coming off the water, at a point in the race when your aerobic system hasn't yet crossed the threshold into real fatigue.
The danger is that Hurricane Point arrives early enough that most runners attack it. They reach the summit with their heart rate too high, take the long descent to Bixby Bridge at a pace they haven't earned, and find the coastal middle miles at miles 16 through 22 grinding harder than they should. The mile 22 climb, a 86-foot rise that would be invisible on any other course, becomes significant when the legs have already spent what they carried up Hurricane Point.
This calculator solves that mile by mile. Enter your goal time, set your uphill effort adjustment, and get a target pace for every segment that accounts for every foot of elevation from the Big Sur Valley start to the Rio Road finish in Carmel, closing exactly to your goal time.
Enter your goal time and effort level. Your personalized mile-by-mile splits appear instantly.
Results appear below. No email required.
| Mile | Elev | Effort | vs Goal Pace | Target Pace (min/mi) | Pace Bank | Elapsed |
|---|
Elevation data from official Big Sur International Marathon GPX. Uphill penalty applied above +0.4% grade; downhill benefit applied below −1.5% grade. Math closes exactly to goal time.
Nine miles of coastal rolling that sets the trap, 6 miles of the most dramatic climbing and descending in American marathon running, then 11 miles of coastal middle and a final push to Carmel.
The first 9 miles run south to north along Highway 1 through some of the most dramatic coastline in California. Miles 1 through 3 drop over 100 feet combined as the course leaves the Big Sur Valley and passes Andrew Molera State Park, and that early downhill feels easy in the cool morning air.
Miles 4 through 9 are rolling: some small climbs, some recovery, nothing severe. The terrain asks little and the scenery asks everything. Views over the Pacific, redwood canyons on the east side of the highway, and almost no highway traffic. Most runners arrive at mile 9 in good spirits and a pace that feels controlled.
Miles 7 through 9 trend slightly uphill as the terrain rises toward the Hurricane Point base. By mile 9 you'll see the ridge ahead. The climb starts in mile 10.
Mile 10: Hurricane Point approach. The climb begins. Mile 10 has a short descent on the front side before the main grade starts rising, ending with a net of −36 feet as the road dips and then begins to turn upward toward the ridge. Your legs feel the change in grade before your mind registers what's coming.
Mile 11: The main ascent. This is the hardest single mile at Big Sur. Net elevation gain of 281 feet, with the raw climb totaling roughly 336 feet up and 55 feet of brief undulation within it. The road is exposed to Pacific wind with no shelter from the ridge. Ocean fog sometimes drops visibility here. The grade averages around 5% across the mile with sections touching 7% or steeper.
Mile 12: Summit and descent. The road crests Hurricane Point and the view opens to one of the more spectacular sights on any marathon course: the Pacific coast dropping away below, Bixby Bridge visible in the distance, and Carmel somewhere ahead on the horizon. The descent begins immediately and mile 12 nets −116 feet. The instinct is to open up. The wiser call is to control the pace and protect the quads for the 14 miles remaining.
Mile 13: Bixby Bridge. The most photographed bridge in California and the most memorable mile of the race. The course crosses the 714-foot span over Bixby Creek Canyon, and a classical pianist plays from a grand piano positioned mid-bridge. It's one of the stranger and more memorable moments in American marathon running. Mile 13 nets −72 feet as the road continues its descent from Hurricane Point.
Miles 14 and 15 continue the post-Bixby descent, losing a combined 126 feet and giving the body its first real opportunity to recover since the start of the climb 4 miles back. Keep the pace at or below your calculator target. The long descent will want to carry you faster than the number. Let the grade work; don't add to it.
Miles 16 through 22 are the most complex section to pace at Big Sur. The terrain rolls: Garrapata State Park brings a 55-foot climb at mile 16 followed by a 42-foot descent at mile 17, then a 33-foot rise at mile 18 and a 30-foot drop at mile 19. None of these climbs are hard by themselves. After Hurricane Point, every one of them costs more than it should.
Point Sur, which runners pass around miles 19 through 21, is one of the most recognizable natural landmarks on the California coast: a volcanic rock rising from the water with a lighthouse visible on its peak. Miles 19 through 21 are the calmest of the middle section, nearly flat, a chance to settle pace and fuel.
Mile 22 is the last significant climb on the course. Everything from mile 23 onward trends toward Carmel and the finish.
Miles 23 and 24 are the two biggest descent miles on the back half. The Carmel Highlands drop 158 feet combined over those 2 miles, and the road opens up. Legs that have been carrying the cost of Hurricane Point for 12 miles now get genuine downhill to work with.
Mile 25 has one final 27-foot rise before the last downhill into Carmel. It's short and manageable. After what the course has asked of you, this climb barely registers. Mile 26 drops 31 feet to the finish.
The calculator shows your target pace for miles 23 through 26.2. If you held yourself at Hurricane Point and kept the middle miles on pace, these will be among your stronger miles of the race.
April in Big Sur means cool fog in the valley, exposure on Hurricane Point, and a warmer finish in Carmel. Wind is the variable that decides everything.
The Big Sur coast runs northwest-to-southeast at the marathon's latitude. When wind comes from the northwest, runners face a headwind on Hurricane Point, adding effort at the worst possible mile. When wind comes from the south, the climb is assisted. Check the forecast for Carmel and Big Sur separately, as they routinely differ by 10 degrees and wind conditions don't always match between the two ends of the course.
| Year | Start Temp | Conditions | Wind | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ~50°F | Good | Light / Variable | Partly cloudy, moderate wind at Hurricane Point. Solid finishing conditions in Carmel. |
| 2024 | ~52°F | Near Perfect | Calm | Clear skies, light coastal breeze. One of the calmer Hurricane Point conditions in recent years. |
| 2023 | ~48°F | Windy | Strong NW headwind | Strong headwind at Hurricane Point. Finish times ran 5–10 min slow across the field. |
| 2022 | ~55°F | Good | Mild | First in-person race since 2019. Overcast, mild temperatures, light wind. Strong field performance. |
| 2019 | ~45°F | Challenging | Gusty at summit | Heavy fog, gusty conditions at Hurricane Point summit. Cold finish in Carmel despite earlier warmth. |
| 2018 | ~53°F | Ideal | Calm | Clear, calm, cool. One of the more favorable recent years for Hurricane Point conditions. |
The practical guideline: if the forecast shows northwest wind above 15 mph, add 10 to 20 seconds per mile to your Hurricane Point target (miles 10 and 11) and plan to run the Carmel approach conservatively. Wind at that elevation and exposure costs more than the same wind on flat terrain.
Morning fog is common at the Big Sur Valley start even when Carmel will be clear and sunny by finish time. Dress in layers for the start. The gap between start and finish temperatures routinely reaches 15 to 20 degrees on clear days.
Big Sur loses 219 feet net from start to finish, runs entirely on Highway 1 with a closed road surface, and delivers 2 of the biggest downhill miles you'll find on any marathon course. A PR is possible. Hurricane Point is the condition.
In calm conditions with a conservatively paced Hurricane Point, runners PR at Big Sur regularly. The course has enough net descent and fast road surface to support it. The mile 23 and 24 descents into Carmel are the fastest miles on the back half of almost any marathon, and they arrive late enough to matter.
The complication is Hurricane Point and what follows it. Runners who attack the climb at miles 10 and 11 typically arrive at the coastal middle section at miles 16 through 22 running on reserves they don't have. The 7 rolling miles from Garrapata to the mile 22 climb don't let depleted legs recover the way a flat course would.
Runners who PR at Big Sur share a consistent approach: run the coastal opening (miles 1 through 9) at or slightly below calculator pace, take Hurricane Point with a long-run effort rather than a race effort, and run the Bixby descent (miles 12 through 15) at or below target rather than accelerating. The back half will have pace to give back.
Many runners set a "Big Sur PR" as a separate category from their open marathon best. The course rewards experience, patience on the climb, and a race plan built specifically for it. Enter your goal time in the calculator above to see exactly what Hurricane Point should cost you at your pace, and what the Carmel descent should give back.
A remote point-to-point course on a closed Highway 1, with mandatory shuttle buses, strict cutoffs, and one of the more unusual race-day experiences in American running.
The start line in the Big Sur Valley is 26 miles south of Carmel, and private vehicles are not permitted near the start area on race day. The only way to the start is the official shuttle bus from Carmel.
Buses depart from the Carmel finish area beginning at approximately 4:30 AM. The ride takes 45 to 60 minutes. Specific departure windows are assigned by corral.
The Big Sur Valley start is cold. Even when Carmel will be 65°F by finish time, the valley at 5 AM typically sits around 40 to 48°F, often foggy or damp. Bring throwaway layers and plan on waiting 1 to 2 hours in the pre-dawn cold before your wave starts.
Bag check is available and bags are transported to the finish in Carmel. There are limited restroom facilities at the start area. The field size is roughly 3,000 to 4,500 runners, small enough that the start is manageable.
Aid stations are located approximately every 2 miles along the course, with water and sports drink available at each. Gel nutrition is available at several stations. The course closes Highway 1 to traffic for the full race, giving runners the entire road.
The race includes a classical pianist performing at Bixby Bridge around mile 13, a tradition since 1986. Strawberries are offered near the finish. Both are unexpected and both land exactly right at those points in the race.
The official time limit is 6 hours from the wave start. Intermediate cutoffs are enforced at several points along the course. Runners who fall behind the cutoff pace are removed from the course and transported to the finish.
The cutoffs reflect the remote nature of the course: Highway 1 needs to reopen to traffic within a fixed window. The 6-hour limit is firm, and sweepers are active.
The finish area is at Rio Road in Carmel, with medals, food, and bag retrieval all located near the finish. Carmel is a walkable town with restaurants close to the finish area.
Cell service in Carmel is typically good. Designate a specific landmark meetup with crew or family before the race, as the finish area can be crowded and the general "near the finish" approach gets complicated at a remote race.
Big Sur uses a lottery system. Applications typically open in November for the following April race, with lottery results announced in December. The field is capped at roughly 3,700 to 4,500 runners. Demand reliably exceeds supply.
Carmel and Monterey have hotel options near the finish. Book immediately after lottery acceptance: race weekend accommodations in Carmel sell out within days of lottery notification. The Carmel area is also a popular tourist destination independent of the race, which keeps occupancy high throughout spring.
Hurricane Point climbs approximately 570 feet over miles 10 and 11, with mile 11 alone gaining 281 feet of net elevation. The ascent is exposed to Pacific Ocean wind with no shelter from the ridge above. Grade averages around 5% across the hardest section, with stretches touching 7% or steeper.
The climb arrives at mile 10, early enough that aerobic reserves haven't been fully depleted but late enough that pace decisions at the start have already accumulated. Runners who take Hurricane Point at long-run effort rather than race effort consistently report managing the back half far better than those who attacked the climb.
Walk intervals through the steepest sections of Hurricane Point are rational at any finish time goal. The grade at the steepest sections is steep enough that the energy cost of running versus a brisk walk is often marginal in raw time, while the cardiovascular cost of running is substantially higher.
The calculator accounts for the grade using a penalty function, not a walk/run model. Your mile 11 target will already reflect the difficulty of the terrain. If the perceived effort of running at that pace feels like a hard effort, walking the steepest sections and running when the grade allows is a reasonable execution strategy.
Mile 22 gains 86 feet net, which is a modest climb by any objective measure. At mile 22 of Big Sur, after Hurricane Point at miles 10 through 12 and 7 miles of coastal rolling terrain, that same climb registers differently. Runners who are ahead of their calculator splits at mile 22 almost universally report the climb feeling harder than expected.
The fix is staying at or below calculator pace through miles 16 to 21. Runners who reach mile 22 at pace handle the climb without incident and find the Carmel descent at miles 23 through 24 genuinely fast.
The calculator uses GPX elevation data from the official Big Sur International Marathon course, segmented into 27 mile-by-mile intervals. The uphill penalty (adjustable from 12 to 15 seconds per mile per 1% grade) and downhill benefit (fixed at 8 seconds per mile per 1% grade, applied below a −1.5% threshold) are based on published research on grade-adjusted pace.
The math closes exactly: the sum of target pace times distance for every segment equals your goal time to the second. Wind, weather, and fueling will affect your actual splits. For Hurricane Point specifically, strong headwind conditions may require adding 5 to 15 seconds per mile to your mile 10 and 11 targets. This is the most accurate free framework available for this course.
